near.nippon is a Japanese womenswear fashion brand founded in 2000 by 深山拓也 and 上島朋子. 深山拓也 is responsible for design and concept, while 上島朋子 gives form to those ideas. The brand creates clothing based on a foundation of basics and mode, using high-quality materials and handcrafted techniques. With “creating a new career class” as its theme, it proposes self-expression in business settings and everyday creativity. The name “near” conveys the idea of bringing opposing elements closer, expressing the brand’s aim to bring contemporaneity and universality together in clothing. Based in Tokyo, it presents collections twice a year.
Concept
near. means “bringing together” opposing elements. The brand believes that the essence of things emerges most strongly not at the centers of two circles, but at what is commonly called their point of contact. In clothing, this means contemporaneity and universality existing side by side.